If you are an EMT of any rank or variety, I’d like to introduce you to a friend that you may not know about. For your entire career in EMS, you’ve had a friend who has tirelessly advocated for your well being, silently worked behind the scenes to increase your pay and benefits, improve your educational standards and direct public policy in your best interest. When it comes to getting good stuff done for our industry, you have two choices you can join the chorus of disgruntled coworkers who bemoan the plight of over-worked and underpaid EMTs, or you can join an organization that has dedicated itself to making real change, every day, for you.
The NAEMT has been working had for you for a long time. They’ve advocated for you for over thirty years now. Today…right now, while you are reading this, someone from The NAEMT is working hard to make your career better. If you’ve ever thought to yourself that EMS needs a united voice and the local and national level, The NAEMT agrees, and they work to be that voice. If you’ve ever been concerned that EMS lacked the national representation that police and firefighters enjoy, The NAEMT agrees, and they are working to create that representation.
I have to give credit where credit is due. The British Heart Foundation recently released a public service announcement video staring tough-guy actor Vinnie Jones. (See Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch.)
This might be the most clever medical PSA I’ve ever encountered. The British Heart Foundation folks have figured out how to get ideas to spread in the 21st century. First, make them simple. Second, make them memorable and third, whenever possible, make them funny.
This is the kind of thing that people will post on their Facebook pages. Once they do that, you don’t need to distribute the idea any longer, people will do it for you.
Here’s some good news for EMT’s studying for the National Registry exam. The development team at The EMT Advantage has partnered with the phone app design folks over at Code3Apps and put together a phone app that will let you simulate the NREMT Basic exam right on your cell phone.
Using the same authors that write the actual questions for the Registry exam, the NREMT Simulator allows students to simulate what it looks and feels like to take the National Registry exam. The simulator is different from other Registry study tools in a bunch of ways that EMT’s preparing for the exam will find insanely useful.
The phone app includes:
Questions pre-calibratd to National Registry passing difficulty
Subject matter that spans the entire National Standard Curriculum
Questions developed by the same individuals who write the Registry exam questions
Pass / Fail estimations in each of the six Registry subject categories
Detailed post-test feedback on user results with question break-down
You can pick up the NREMT Simulator for your Android smart phone in the Android marketplace right here. You can also find it on your droid by searching the marketplace for NREMT Simulator.
There is also a version available for the Kindle Fire. You can download any version of the app for $4.99.
Do you want to know if you’re ready to pass the National Registry exam? When you think you’re ready to tear it up, download the app and find out for sure.
Pssst. Quick tip. If you’re a Facebook user and you enjoy FireRescue1, this is your chance to get in on a nice giveaway. This page explains it all. But it isn’t that tough.
Those who perished ten years ago today gave their lives in the name of freedom. They didn’t ask to stand in the name of justice and democracy. They didn’t volunteer to play a momentous and tragic role in our history. But they gave their lives just as surely as any soldier who ever fought for our country. We owe it to them to look back and remember the horrible price they paid for our country and our way of life.
We owe it to them to stand vigilant against those that wish us ill.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be a firefighter / paramedic in the middle of a dense American metropolis? If you’d like a glimpse at paramedic life inside of a big city fire department, I know of no better place than The Happy Medic HQ. This blog is a relatively unedited look at the day to day life and musings of Justin Schorr, a firefighter paramedic for The San Francisco Fire Department.
With a keen eye, Justin looks at the current state of EMS in America (and the world) and points to what we can do to make it better. He also has an uncanny ability to find himself in the middle of some of the most create endeavors in EMS today, including The EMS Garage, Beyond the Lights and Sirens, A Seat at The Table and the EMS 2.0 movement. If you aren’t sure what any of those things are, you need to stop by www.thehapymedic.com and take a look. (Warning: whatever you had to do for the next 3 hours may have to wait.)
Why you should read it:
Justin has always been willing to put himself out there for the things he believes in. I admire that. Whether it’s putting a camera in the back of his rig and filming himself running calls or sitting at a table, challenging some of the biggest names in EMS to answer difficult questions, Justin acts boldly and he never flinches. When you read Justin’s blog you see exactly what a blog should be, one persons mind, poured out without reservation or cliche. Justin tells us what’s going on, and then he will tells us what he thinks about it. Whether you agree with his thoughts or not, he is always insightful and thought provoking.
I’ve read Justin’s blog regularly for the past three years and I’ve come to consider him a friend. When I’m mulling over current issues, I trust Justin’s insight. I hope you’ll add him to you list of trusted EMS resources too.
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago at 4:16 pm. Add a comment
Follow me on this. Back in the day, they were Emergency Medical Services Magazine before they decided to shorten things up and become EMS Magazine. (Everyone called it that anyway.) Then they decided to swap out their old moniker for EMS World in early 2011. New name…same folks, same great content.
The home page for EMS World can be a little overwhelming. It’s a little like the old Yahoo search engine page circa 1992. It’s a bit of a collage. Everything EMS in one place. But it’s also a gold mine of EMS information. If you’re willing to dig in, EMS World is exactly what the new name promises. There are articles, news updates, forums, continuing education, videos, blogs and podcasts.
Why you should read it:
EMS World is the content king of EMS magazines. They always strive to have the most useful content out there. While other EMS magazines and resources have sold their soul to advertising, EMS World has alway maintained a decent balance of advertisements and content. They don’t dress up product ads like “real” feature articles. They put out solid infomation and they have since I was a fledgling EMT over two decades ago.
I grew up reading this magazine and they continue to influence my medicine to this day. They’ve been a trusted friend for my entire EMS career and they can be the same for you too.
If you’re a regular reader of The EMT Spot, you already know that I’m a fan of the snip-and-rip method of using trauma shears. If you don’t have time for the long review, snip-and-rip technique involves using your trauma shears to begin the cut at the cuff or hem of the clothing and then grabbing the clothing with both hands and ripping the fabric.
I’m not trying to brag, but I’ll put my snip-and-rip technique up against anyone with any technique for getting the patient uncovered fast. OK, make that any technique…with one exception. I’ll admit it. I can’t compete with Rip Shears.
Rip Shears have taken the snip-and-rip technique to a whole new level. If you haven’t seen these things yet, let me tell you about them.
The folks at Rip Shears came up with a unique idea to adapt the standard trauma shears with a cutting tool that can take over where your run of the mill trauma shears leave you hanging . Once you blot on the Rip Shears blade you’ll have a second blade that can do the ripping portion of the job as well.
The Rip Shears blade allows you to start the cut with your shears and then finish it with a sweep of the blade. T-shirts, jeans, boot laces, bunker gear and wet suits shred like butter with the Rip Shears blade.
Even with the best snip-and-rip technique, once your trauma shears have snipped the cuff or hem of the clothing, you’ll need to grab the fabric on either side of the cut and clumsily rip the garment with your hands. (If you can.) It takes time and can be painful for the patient. The Rip Shears are a clever little second blade that you can use to hook and rip the clothing after you’ve made the snip.
I know, it sounds complicated. It isn’t. Here’s a video:
When I saw this video I immediately wanted to try these out for myself, so I asked the folks at Rip Shears if I could take a pair of Rip Shears for a test run. I probably should have warned my partner that I had added a Rip Shears blade to my normal trauma shears. He was taken back for a few seconds the first time I tore through a patients jeans with them. When you use them, expect that you’ll raise a few eyebrows.
I can say first hand that these things work. They work just like you see in the video. Give the Rip Shears a try and you’ll be impressed at how fast you can strip a trauma patient. You won’t want to ever carry a pair of trauma shears without a Rip Shear blade bolted on to them again. I know I won’t.
In the world of EMS blogs, Everyday EMS Tips is the potpourri bowl of EMS information. Created by Greg Friese of Plover, Wisconsin in 2008, this website has maintained its eclectic spirit with style. You never really know what you’re going to get when you stop by Greg’s blog, but you can bet that there will be something there that’s both interesting and relevant.
When you walk around with as much EMS knowledge sloshing around between your ears as Greg Friese, you can’t help but have a wide range of topics to cover. When Greg sits down in front of his keyboard, his next post may be about blood pressure assessment, Power Point creation or the next iPhone EMS application. Greg started his blogging career as a regular columnist for EMS1 but he quickly realized that he had way more stuff to write about than he could cover than his regular column could hold. He started up Everyday EMS Tips and he’s been dispensing EMS knowledge, wisdom and minutia ever since.
If you stay tuned in to Greg’s blog regularly, you’ll find yourself frequently thinking to yourself, “Oh yeah, I read about this on Everyday EMS Tips.” Greg is a very connected guy in EMS and he’s a modern day Renaissance medic. (In the classic sense of the word.) Greg knows just about everyone who’s anyone in EMS and he keeps close tabs on what’s relevant to today’s EMS professional. Mixed in with his healthy dose of day-in-the-life minutia and whimsical views, is an avalanche of good stuff that every working EMT should know.
I like everything about Greg’s blog and I’m glad that he’s always been so willing to show up and post himself on his blog. That might be the best thing about Everyday EMS Tips. Greg doesn’t hide behind any artificial facade or title like “EMS author” or “educator”. Greg is just Greg. What you see is what you get and after you’ve enjoyed his writing for a while you really get the sense that you know him. Greg talks to his readers as if they are his friends. Because of his prolific writing and easy accessibility, many of them have become exactly that.
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago at 10:52 pm. 1 comment
Mix your favorite EMS instructor with The New England Journal of Medicine with Rage Against the Machine and you’ve got Rogue Medic, a blog for the smart, non-conformist in all of us. The Rogue Medic is Tim Noonan, an experienced paramedic who created a blog under a few simple beliefs. First, much of what we do in EMS is flat out wrong. Second, EMS practitioners should be smarter and better at what we do.
To that end he created his blog, and, year after year, he’s delivered some of the best information out there about what’s real and what’s make-believe in the world of EMS research. In his own words, Tim’s mission is to frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress to those who intend to keep EMS from improving.
Tim doesn’t pull any punches. He isn’t looking to make a lot of friends and he doesn’t care who he offends in his quest to dissect our EMS research, protocols and sacred cows. Tim’s brash, strait forward and opinionated and I like him a while lot, even when he’s picking apart my writings.
There are several things that makes Tim unique in the world of EMS blogs. First, he’s prolific. When he’s on a rant, he will go for 1,000, 2,000 even 3,000 words in his effort to sort out his opinion and make it into a well defined argument. Second, he’s willing to do the research and the leg work to write a really well informed blog. Make no mistake, what Tim does isn’t easy. Every word he writes is backed by a considerable amount of secondary research and exploration. He’s well informed and it shows. If you’re going to pick a fight with Tim, you better do your homework.
Why you should use his blog:
Rogue Medic is simply the best way to keep up on current EMS research. If you want to know the why or the why not behind the EMS treatments that you perform, you won’t find cleared insights that Tim’s. I’ve listened to him take on doctors and researchers with sharp insights and clear reasoning. You might not agree with everything he writes (and he’ll be the first one to tell you that you shouldn’t) but he will make you think critically about the care that you provide each shift.
A little sample from The Rogue Medic:
I rarely give oxygen.
We should be giving drugs only for a specific effect.
We should not be giving drugs just to satisfy a protocol.
We should not be giving drugs to satisfy a mnemonic.
A mnemonic is a memory aid.
A mnemonic is not a standing order.
-Tim Noonan
If you’re ready for more, it’s time to add Rogue Medic to your list of EMS blogs.
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago at 10:16 am. Add a comment
For your entire career in EMS, you’ve had a friend who has tirelessly advocated for your well being, silently worked behind the scenes to increase your pay and benefits, improve your educational standards and direct public policy in your best interest. When it comes to getting good stuff done for our industry, you have two choices you can join the chorus of disgruntled coworkers who bemoan the plight of over-worked and underpaid EMTs, or you can join an organization that has dedicated itself to making real change, every day, for you.
Advantage
